Transmission fluid drained & refilled... NOW LEAKING!

[HarrisH]

I just had a simple drain & refill done at 74K miles on an L4 2002 Camry. The fluid wasn't in very good condition so I purchased 4 quarts of T4 OEM Toyota Trans. Fluid.

I went to my mechanic who did a simple drain & refill. I drove the car a little bit and brought it back home and it was fine. I drove it tonight and noticed quite a large pool of trans. fluid.

Jacking up the car I saw it was leaking drops in 4-5 second intervals directly from the drain plug.

I don't have the tool to tighten it. Should I tighten the drain plug or is there a specific gasket or some other procedure that needs to be done in order to rectify the problem?

[touringcamry]

Have you checked the fluid level?

The drain plug is 10mm allen or hex.

[HarrisH]

Originally Posted by touringcamry

Have you checked the fluid level?

The drain plug is 10mm allen or hex.

Yeah I'm going to go back to the mechanic tomorrow.

But do you think it might be leaking because I took out the old fluid and put in the new?

Is there a gasket for that plug?

[CamrySExxx]

yea im thinking he didnt tighten it. But the thing that says it shouldnt be changed is pretty weird. our camry has 90km (56mi) and the fluid was really dark brown and smelt bad. kinda glad we changed it and there is no problems happening.

[touringcamry]

If it's loose enough to drip, personally I don't even want to drive it for fear of the plug vibrating off.

[gdanaher]

Use a scredriver os something to tighten enough to get to mechanic or parts store to buy a 10 mm wrench? Check it. It should have a gasket underneith but is is likely not tight. Dpont't drive very far this way.

[yeuemhoai]

Yes there is metal gasket, maybe the mechanic left it off.

[HarrisH]

I got the crush washer replaced and the plug retightened. I'm going to cross my fingers now.

[TRD VVTi]

Originally Posted by HarrisH

I got the crush washer replaced and the plug retightened. I'm going to cross my fingers now.

Go kick you "mechanic" in the no-no area.

Then get a "technician" to work on your car in the future. Automobiles are too expensive not to have a professional work on them.

The new transmission fluid burns up just like the old stuff. I don't believe in Toyota's extended life transmission fluid. I saw alot of cars with brown/burned fluid when I worked for Toyota. Inspect if frequently and change if it gets discolored. If it gets brown, flush it but don't use any additives when you do so. Just flush it with fresh fluid.

It seems that the cars that were affected the most were used for alot of in town driving.

My fluid still looks like new.

[marc780]

Originally Posted by HarrisH

I got the crush washer replaced and the plug retightened. I'm going to cross my fingers now.

whats more i'd never let that meatball put his hands on my car again if i were you

[HarrisH]

He reused the original washer... are we not allowed to use them again?

[HarrisH]

Sorry, what I meant was when it was leaking yesterday he re-used the original washer. I now got him a new one.

But are the crush washers to be replaced after each and every drain & refill?